The Balochistan government has given go-ahead for expanding the seed money for Balochistan Awami Endowment Fund (BAEF) programme to Rs2 billion to ensure the best health care facilities for maximum number of poor people suffering from chronic diseases.
The Balochistan government has provided financial assistance to 1,426 poor patients under the BAEF programme so far who are suffering from chronic diseases, said an official of Balochistan government.
He said the provincial government had also allocated Rs3 billion supplementary funds initially which were further enhanced with an additional grant of Rs 1 billion during last year. The official said the assistance was being provided to the poor and needy patients under the BAEF initiative to for their treatment in the best public and private sector hospitals across the country. He said the medical board of the province was approving 200 to 300 cases in each meeting. The Balochistan government has formed a special team of doctors who are visiting the penal hospitals across the country to ensure provision of the best treatment facilities.
The official said the government was receiving Rs60 million monthly as seed money but the need of the poor people had gone above R 150 million. He said 20 to 30 million rupees were being spent on a single patient to ensure the best health care facilities. He also urged the private sector to come forward and joined hands with the government for the noble cause. He said this initiative was the first of the best welfare programme in South Asia, which was supporting the needy ones through cash transfers.
